#geared steam locomotive

[identifyingtrainsinposts]

[In order of appearance]

Lima Locomotive Works - C-80-3

Climax Locomotive Works - Class C (70-3)

Lima Locomotive Works - C-70-3, PC-13, C-90-3

Steamy Power Locomotive 🚂

[zeeckz]

Part 1

(x)

[cottondaycarestims]

🚂/🌾/🚂|🌾/🚂/🌾|🚂/🌾/🚂

Stimboard of my favorite Locomotive: Nickel Plate Road 765, S-2 class Berkshire built by LLW in 1944. Wish I could have found gifs of the actual train.

~ Ches 🚂

[locomotive-idiot]

You have any good videos of coupling rods in motion? They're for.... Ummm... Research purposes? Yeah, research purposes and definitely because they make my brain do the happy chemical as a train autistic myself

alright.

ok so (yt links ahead)

the one valve gear that scratches my brain really good is walschaerts

(221) Walschaerts Valve Gear - Test Animation - YouTube

another great valve gear??? stephensons

(221) Stephenson Valve Gear - Test Animation - YouTube

(like holy shit look at the mechanical stuff going on here)

it was mostly inside frame of old british locomotives (image is an inside frame version) :)

third???

(221) Attempt to do a 3D model of a Gresley valve gear - YouTube have you actually ever seen the fucking mechanical genius that is the gresley valve gear?

and fun fact! this valve gear was not only used on gresley locomotives, it was also used on the UP 9000 class

i would put more here, like baker and the young valve gear

but you gotta search that yourself "definitely also not autistic about trains" :3

[identifyingtrainsinposts]

Lima Locomotive Works - C-70-3 (left) & C-150-3 (right) AKA Cass Scenic Railroad No. 4 & 6 Both of these engines are Shays, Geared steam locomotives with several distinct features. They have 2 or 3 pistons (in this case both have 3) mounted vertically on the right side. The boiler is shifted to the left to make room for the pistons. These pistons drive a driveshaft on the outside, which drives the wheels via gears. This design gave you a lot of grip and made the engines pretty light, which was fantastic for small industries like logging and mines, and terrible for the main line due to its low speed.

The fasted a Shay has ever been recorded going is 18 MPH. No. 6 is the largest Shay in existence, and the last one built by Lima.

[whirligig-girl]

NWR No.1 and SLYM No.11513 at a dual gauge interchange just outside of the city center.

SLYM No.11513 is an Advanced Steam Locomotive native to Gymnome--a coal-burning steam engine operating at high pressure, with technological improvements to allow it to rival the efficiency and ease of use of a diesel locomotive, such as electronic controls, compound expansion of steam, a gas producer combustion system firebox, dual exhaust, and automatic firing and oiling. 11513 was built some time in the 2340s, and survives to 2381 as a museum piece.

NWR No.1 is a much older locomotive and from another planet altogether, built 1915 for the LBSC railway as a one-off prototype for a six-coupled shunter to replace the aging Terriers and to supplement the much larger E2-tanks. NWR No.1 made it to the North Western Railway not long after it was built, having been allocated there for the war effort. It is not clear how a locomotive built 465 years in the past on planet Earth made it intact to Gymnome, nor how its gauge perfectly matched Goo'iw Broad Gauge, at least not without invoking some kind of universe-spanning magic railroad, or perhaps the notion that this is all a simulation being run in some kind of virtual reality in some alien starship.

(no this isn't canon.)

Artist's notes:

Earlier today I doodled this in my sketchbook.

And when I got home i decided, hey, I have my Thomas 3D model, and I have the game model of the Advanced Steam Tank Engine... why not actually stage them together and draw them to-scale. The size difference is greater than I expected--partly I think this is because the Thomas gauge-1 prop was not designed with scale in mind, so it's bigger than British Railways loading gauge. Granted, they are at different gauges (standard gauge versus roughly meter-ish gauge), but the loading gauge on the advanced steam engine is very wide.

My first attempt at the drawing was from a very different angle:

But I quickly realized that you can't actually see the Advanced Steam Engine's wheels, and that's a major design aspect.

So i chose a different angle.

I constructed the dual gauge track before anything else.

And before long (the better part of 2 hours) I had the line art finished.

The Advanced Steam Engine ended up being a hybrid between the original illustration I did of it months ago, and the game model--with most of the geometry accurate to the game model, but with the subtler detailing of the illustrated version.

Thomas was meant to be a sort of hybrid of the Gauge 1 Prop from the TV series and a realistic loco. I prioritized the geometry and simplicity of the gauge 1 prop in most respects, but added details below the running board, in particular brake rigging, sanding gear, and these blade-like protrusions of the frames which i'm pretty sure are some kind of debris deflector, a british version of a cowcatcher. There's also snifters on the cylinder saddle, and the whistle is made of two different lengths to justify Thomas' multi-tone whistle.

The original background was going to be this marshland with (electricity-generating) windmills in the background, a callback to that first shot in the Thomas & Friends opening credits, but I hated how it felt like the middle of nowhere, so I introduced the retaining wall and an alien city scene.

British steam engines are generally given very shiny liveries which reflect the environment in interesting ways, so I made sure to do that justice, using a GWR 14xx autotank as reference.

By contrast, the Advanced Steam Tank Engine is kept in a more workwormlike condition, with a somewhat faded matte paint work and a fair amount of grime.

The original illustration of the advanced steam engine, for comparison.

Finally, a version with faces.

[railfangxy]

The Embodiment of Streamline Moderne

Most steam streamliners have shrouds to bring the engine into a Moderne style. Be that styling the engine to look as new as its consist does on the inside, OR embracing a look that borrows from contemporary diesel power.

Seems the Pennsylvania Railroad T1's were the exact opposite, at least at first. A futuristic design concept by Raymond Loewy was adapted to fit the outline of a steam engine

Just look between these two and the resemblance is clear

The T1's are already fairly modern machines as far as steam locomotives go. True, they are reciprocating machines so they still use cylinders and rods compared to individual steam motors, or a steam turbine drive. However, there's two or three aspects about them to complement their forward styling.

First is the duplex drive. The concept was to create a locomotive that was easier on the track at higher speeds by splitting up the driving wheels. More cylinders are needed, but the actual reciprocating mass is reduced. The T1's weren't the first iterations of this, on or off their home railroad, but they came with something else.

Second is poppet valves; more familiar with stationary steam engines, and persist today in internal combustion engines. Compared to piston valves, poppets allow for more precise timing of admission and exhaust to the cylinder, thus more power can be obtained. Poppet valves were tried a few times in the US in the 20s, and saw use elsewhere, but almost nothing like what the T1's had

Lastly is the Franklin System of Steam Distribution. This is a form of valve gear, large based on Lentz gear as it uses oscillation cams and has valves positions more like a piston. However, there's multiple sets of these valves, and the actual reciporicating mass is miniaturized and housed in a gearbox casing. In addition to the slight power boost offered by poppet valves, this further reduction of weight means the engine puts less energy into moving itself compared to its train. In addition, this protected the motion and meant maintenance requirements were actually lower compared to conventional valve gear.

If you know anything about the T1 that last part may sound odd, but the first engine to use the Franklin system did indeed require less maintenance than others in its division. The streamlining made access tricky, but it was really a problem when it came to making repairs not general maintenance.

All this and more set the T1 apart from anything that came before, or really since. It's only fitting they look the part of being a vision of the future. Just had no idea where the styling originated for them to look so much more modern on the outside, when they were already steps forward on the inside.

The best part about the iconic profile is that it never really left. I don't just mean the later T1's or the similar looking diesels. The prototype T1's kept the Loewy influence up front right til the end. Just iconic

[trainsinanime]

Okay, but let's discuss the important questions here:

Does the train in Wicked make sense?

…well no, of course not, it's Wicked, I'd be disappointed if it made sense. Way too many gears on that damn thing (gears happen to be expensive), but you know, that's on purpose, that's the point of the whole thing.

I will actually say that it makes more sense than you'd expect at first glance. There's an implication that this is a private special purpose rail vehicle, not the train usually used here, specifically to get Elpheba to Oz. See how the station platform is infinitely long, obviously designed for far longer trains. Between the luxurious interior and the dome-car style canopy, this may be the Wizard's own personal train. I don't think he'd actually use it, but it would make sense for him to have one. Like how the Pope in the real world has a rail connection that's completely pointless. This train is definitely the thing to send if you want to impress, well, the only one with actual magical power in the whole kingdom.

And I really love the design of it. It evokes both 1920s and 1930s streamlined locomotives and 1930s streamlined cars like the Bugatti Type 57:

But it also puts its own Art Nouveau spin on it. It's beautiful, intricate, needlessly complicated, the only knock against it is that it doesn't appear to be wheelchair accessible, which is genuinely not great.

There are a lot of questions you could ask about it. Like, why does it appear to have a 2'D2' (that's 4-8-4) wheel arrangement like a tender steam locomotive when it doesn't appear to be one of them, and the rear isn't a tender? Beats me. How is it powered? No clue. Why do the tracks have moving parts? No idea. How does it stay on the tracks, is that why the driving wheels appear to be slanted? Impossible to tell. Isn't this going to be hell on maintenance? Quite possibly. But all of these feel kind of silly to ask in the heightened reality of Wicked.

The important part is that the train is really beautiful and I love it.

[linksconverge]

GAME: Spirit Tracks DIRECTORY: Height ref, #character tag

The youngest Royal Engineer New Hyrule has ever granted a graduation to, so he's kind of a prodigy when it comes to steam locomotives. This would be helpful — if only this weird Hyrule had any (he supposes he'll have to make do with these Zonai and Sheikah thingamajigs). Something of a stickler for respecting rules, boundaries, promises, and doing things by the book. The type who has trouble saying 'no'.

WEAPON: Came weaponless in the traditional sense. He's never had a taste for swordfighting despite his natural talent for it, so his sword and shield are usually left back at home with Niko when he's on duty. He brought everything else from his world-saving journey with Zelda though — he likes to handle foes with the whip and bow.

GEAR: Engineer must-haves. In addition to the occupational essentials, his items speak of a surprisingly careful youth. Several maps, a well-thumbed notebook, and two graphite pencils (complete with kneaded eraser) help bolster his memory; regularly washed handkerchiefs are always kept on hand to wipe off sweat, oil, and soot; miscellanea are organised safely in his pouch. Since he came with half his train, he has an emergency tool-chest available for its maintenance.

SKILL: Train engineer. Fully trained, educated, and officially recognised, Linh is an expert on the usage and upkeep of steam locomotives; they've been trying to see if any of their knowledge might apply to Zonai or Sheikah devices as well. The job's demands have also shaped their general conduct, in that they're a great multitasker and pay more attention to detail than their age would suggest.

SKILL: Spirit sight. Perhaps due to his Komo lineage, he can perceive the otherworldly without needing specialised magic or an enchanted item. This includes spirits, deities, auras if they're particularly bright, and right through some veiling spells if he concentrates hard enough.

LANGUAGES & COMMUNICATION: Hearing. He understands Hylian (Modern Syllabary), conversational Anouki and Goron, and limited Komo. Struggles with the Hylian commonly spoken in this Hyrule he's landed in, so he's among the heroes relying on Patches for interpretation at the moment. Non-speaking, he typically uses his era's Hylian Sign Language to communicate.

Has a whistle for train conducting; this is his go-to method for grabbing attention. It's had the unfortunate side effect of encouraging Cori to try stealing it off of him.

Fully literate, so he'll write in his notebook when faced with someone who doesn't know HSL.

KOMO LINEAGE: Born half-Hylian and half-Komo — of whom are a portion of the Indigenous Peoples of New Hyrule. He has smaller ears and more spiritual (rather than magical) ability than the rest of the party because of this. While not a complete stranger to Komo customs or knowledge, he was raised by Niko from a young age, so he's more familiar with Hylian culture.

Named Linh at birth, given "Link" when taken in by Niko due to the language barrier at the time.

PERSONAL TIMELINE: Went through the events of Spirit Tracks when they were eleven-years-old. It's been a year since. Does not go through Hyrule Warriors, only their Zelda does.

NICKNAME ORIGIN: It's just their birth-name. Cori signs this as its meaning ("spirit"); otherwise usually fingerspelled (syllabically, "Li-nn").

[ndcultureis]

neurodivergent culture is watching steam locomotive valve gear spin

.

[sparkarrestor]

Bulleid's Proposed Locomotives

So it turns out Bulleid had so many of his designs dropped for one reason or another, and since I can't stick with a single project for more than a few seconds, I wrote up histories for all of them!

Enjoy the ramblings of a madman who spent a good long while finding free number slots for them.

Southern Railway Warship Class

The Southern Railway was the most financially successful of the "Big Four", but this was largely based on investment in suburban and main line electrification. After the successful introduction of the SR Schools class in 1930, the railway had lagged behind the others in terms of modernizing its aging fleet of steam locomotives, as they were more focused on Electrification. Following the retirement of the general manager of the Southern Railway Sir Herbert Walker and Richard Maunsell the Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) in 1937, their successors considered that the time had come to change this situation. In March 1938 the new general manager Gilbert Szlumper authorized Oliver Bulleid, Maunsell's replacement, to prepare designs for twenty express passenger locomotives. The deteriorating international situation prior to the Second World War was an additional factor in this decision.

Originally, Bulleid had wanted a 4-8-2 Mountain Type, but the Civil Engineering department had resisted this based on size and weight, so a 2-8-2 was chosen instead. Bulleid had worked with Gresley on his P2 2-8-2 express engines, so he already had some background knowledge, especially with the P2’s problems and ideas on how to solve them. Of course, due to the war, they were classified as heavy mixed-traffic engines to get around wartime regulations.

They were built with high-pressure 280 PSI boilers and three 18inx26in cylinders, as well as being the first engines to use Bulleid’s chain-driven valve gear, though the middle cylinder had to be inclined steeply to clear the first driven axle. The boiler was partly welded to save on cost, and the inner firebox was made of steel. The Southern had no facilities to build these boilers, so it was subcontracted to the North British Locomotive Co., as well as Beyer Peacock. They were also fitted with Bulleid’s Air-Smooth Casing. Unlike later designs that utilized this, the casing on the Warships both served their function purpose as labor saving as well as being able to be passed off as some sort of streamlining. How Bulleid got that one through during the war is a mystery! The Warship’s were also the first to use Bulleid’s Firth-Brown Wheels.

10 of these engines were constructed in 1940. More were set to be produced, but once again, the Civil Engineering Department expressed their discomfort at such a large engine running at high speeds with only a single pony-truck in front, despite other engines of a similar design getting on fine elsewhere. This would lead Bulleid to designing and building 30 of his well-known Merchant Navy Class 4-6-2s. 

They were named after Warships as a way to increase morale, with 11D1 being officially named “Dreadnought” in April 1940. They performed well in service, hauling heavy passenger and express goods, though the Chain-Driven valve gear was sensitive and required high maintenance, as well as the oil-bath having leaking problems, contributing to wheel-slips(Though the extra wheel helped negate this as well). The casing, while it did save on labor during cleaning, and the more streamlined appearance helped with publicity, it made maintenance hard to carry out. Surprisingly, thanks to their different front ends, they never really experienced drifting smoke like Bulleid’s Pacifics.

All 10 of the engines would be passed into British Railways, numbered 37001-37010, where their duties mostly stayed the same. 11D8 “Black Charles'' took part in the 1948 locomotive exchange trials, where it was compared to LMS Duchess pacifics and LNER A4’s and A2/2s, where it performed favorably, though the chain driven valve gear and its oil bath still caused headaches. After the Crewkerne incident, BR chose a rebuilding program of any engines that still used Bulleid’s Chain Driven motion, however, as the Warships had required far less modifications that the Pacifics, they were on the bottom of the list in the rebuilding program. In the end, only 37003 “Triumph”, 37009 “Warspite”, and 37010 “Exeter” were rebuilt in 1956, 1957, and 1959.

Despite their status as a class with very few engines, all ten would survive until the end of southern steam, going between 1965-1966.

Two are preserved, both being rescued from Barry Scrapyard in Wales. These examples are Class Pioneer 11D1 “Dreadnought”, as well as 11D3 “Triumph”.

Stats

Power Classification - 8MT

Built - 1940 to 1941

Boiler Pressure - 280 PSI

Cylinders (3) - 18in x 26in

Wheels (Driven) - 6ft 2in

Wheels (Leading) - 3ft 1in

Wheels (Trailing) - 3ft 7in

Wheels (Tender) 3ft 7in

Tractive Effort - 40,640 lbf

Total Length - 74ft 8in

Fleet

11D1 (37001) - Dreadnought

11D2 (37002) - Anson

11D3 (37003) - Triumph

11D4 (37004) - Vanguard

11D5 (37005) - Ark Royal

11D6 (37006) - Audacity 

11D7 (37007) - Valiant

11D8 (37008) - Black Charles

11D9 (37009) - Warspite

11D10 (37010) - Exeter

Southern Railway Prototype Light Pacific

(Pic by Sttophat on twitter)

     In 1941, Bulleid had introduced his Warship Mikado's and Merchant Navy Pacific's to become the main motive power for the Southern Railway’s Express passenger trains, though while they performed well, they were restricted by their weight, especially since the condition of the rails were hampered by the Second World War. Initially, trains on the lighter sections were handled by the Q1 0-6-0 freight engines and other, older engines, but they couldn’t handle the faster trains that were anticipated after the war. There was also the planned electrification of certain areas after the war, so the new design also needed to handle freight traffic as well, fast enough to not impede electric services.

     What was decided on in the end was a downsized version of the Merchant Navy’s, fitted with the same design theory of the Q1’s to create a “Light Pacific”. The Locomotive was completed in 1942 alongside the Q1’s, and was trialed for a short time before entering service. It was deemed a success, and numbered 21C201. It was powerful enough to handle fast, heavy trains, as well as having an extremely light axle loading for a pacific at 16.5 Tons, enabling it to be used on almost every part of the UK Network as a whole. However, Bulleid decided to go with a different approach, creating simply a downsized Merchant Navy with no Q1 elements. This would increase the axle load, though this wasn’t much of an issue, as the Battle of Britain and West Country Class Light Pacifics still had a high enough route availability for the work they were assigned. Thus, the “Q1 Light Pacific'' would remain a one-off.

     During the war, No.21C201 would actually travel a fair amount, and would regularly venture out of Southern territory, its light axle-load coming in handy. After the war however, it would mostly stay in the South. Performance-wise, it seemed to inherit all of the good qualities from the Q1’s and the pacific’s. The light-weight was already a plus, coupled with a great, free-steaming boiler and additions that made the driver and fireman’s life easier. However, it also inherited the bad aspects as well. The chain-driven valve gear was a well-known headache on bulleid locomotives, but there was also the issue that its light-weight caused. The regular Light Pacifics had trouble starting heavy trains thanks to their weight, but No.21C201 had it worse, especially with the well-known issues with the oil bath the valve gear was situated in. The light weight would also affect braking power as well, making unfitted trains harder to stop, a trait inherited from the Q1’s.

     No.21C201 (Now Renumbered 34000) was not considered for rebuilding like the other Bulleid Pacifics due to its one-off status. It would be given a general repair in 1960 before spending the rest of its life at Nine-Elms, mainly working express and semi-fast goods trains and the occasional passenger turn during peak period and summer excursions. It was withdrawn from service in 1966 and broken up at Eastleigh. 

Stats

Power Classification - 6MT

Built - 1942

Wheels (Driven) - 6ft 2in

Wheels (Leading) 3ft 1in

Wheels (Trailing) - 3ft 7in

Wheels (Tender) - 3ft 7in

Boiler Pressure - 250 psi

Cylinders (3) - 16.5in x 24in

Tractive Effort - 28,145lbf

Total Built - 1

Southern Railway L1 Class

Bulleid designed these locomotives during the Second World War, but construction didn’t begin until 1946. They shared many components with Bulleid’s Q1 0-6-0 goods engines, and were essentially the Q1’s with an Air-Smoothed Casing and a bigger boiler (though the firebox was identical with that of a Q1’s).

Twelve of these engines would be constructed between 1946 and 1948, with the final 3 being built by British Railways. They were originally numbered 22C1 to 22C12, though they were renumbered in 1949 to 36101 to 36112. They were originally meant for short distance goods and passenger services, though they never really found their footing in this role. The passenger trains that usually necessitated big tank engines were already being handled by electric engines, and everything else usually required smaller and lighter engines, which meant that, despite inheriting the power and efficiency of the Q1, the added weight and size meant that they were barred from where they could be most effective. The goods work they were meant for were also in the care of both Q1’s and Maunsell’s Q Class, as well as the many N class moguls already in service. In the end they spent their time hopping from shed-to-shed before settling on ex-LSWR territory, and even venturing into Western Region territory.

They were withdrawn between 1962-1964. Only one survives, 22C9 (36109) on the Bluebell Railway.

Stats

Power Classification - 5F 4P

Built - 1946 to 1948

Boiler Pressure - 230 PSI

Cylinders (2) - 19in x 26in

Wheels (Driven) - 5ft 1in

Wheels (Bogies) - 3ft 1in

Tractive Effort - 30,080 lbf

Southern Railway Dock Class

After the Second World War, many of the Southern Railway’s shunters (mainly those at Southampton) inherited from pre-grouping companies were worn out and needed overhauling. As such, Bulleid opted to replace them outright with his own design of 0-6-0T, with a short wheelbase of 10 feet to enable it to negotiate the tight curves. Like many of Bulleid’s designs, he equipped it with a relatively high boiler pressure.

Six would enter service in 1946, and while a total of 18 were planned, this would never come to be, as Eastleigh works was not in a position to build new locomotives with the backlog from the war. In the end, the southern found it cheaper to purchase ex-USATC S100 dock shunters, as they fulfilled most of the requirements needed.

They were numbered C201 to C206, and were renumbered to 30071 to 30076 in British Railways days. The first, 30071, was built with the Idaglass boiler lagging and casing as used in the Q1 class, while the other 5 were built with conventional boiler lagging and tanks. 30071 would be rebuilt like the others in 1953.

The class would lead uninteresting lives as dock shunters in Southampton and Dover until their withdrawal between 1961-1962. One was initially purchased for preservation but the deal fell through. None are preserved.

Stats

Power Classification - 3F

Built - 1946

Boiler Pressure - 220 PSI

Cylinders (2) - 16in x 24in

Wheels (Driven) - 4ft 6in

Tractive Effort - 21,276 lbf

[hazel-of-sodor]

Day 16-Friends

Day 16-Golden

Other Stories

Other Days

Percy had just woke up when Cassandra snuck back into the sheds. The sidetank was clearly exhausted, the pouring rain slowly washing away soot and grime. She puffed laboriously as she reversed into the shed, clearly running on fumes more than any real head of steam. 

He winced as she stopped next to him in her berth, her face looking little better than her paint. The cleaners quickly set about her with military precision.

“Morning,” she yawned, stretching her valve gear with a creak.

“Morning Cassandra,” he responded quietly, “successful night?”

She nodded blearily, “Caronia has them, they're safe now.”

‘ah.’ Percy thought, ‘she sent this batch to America.’

Cassandra yawned again, clearly struggling to stay awake.

“Are you okay?” Percy asked, concerned.

“I'm fine.” Cassandra reassured, even as he could see her struggling to keep her eyes open, “I just didn't get any sleep.”

Percy narrowed his eyes, “And when did you last sleep?”

Cassandra wearily considered the question, “...the night I was kept at Knapford.”

“That was four days ago!?” Percy squawked.

 “Probably.” Cassandra said carelessly, closing her eyes.

The saddletank stared at his friend, “You need to sleep!”

The No.1 cracked an eye open irritably, “My next train is in thirty minutes, I’ll sleep tonight.”

“You can't haul a train like this!” Percy said aghast.

Cassandra signed in frustration, turning to glare at him, “and when it's asked why I'm not hauling my train?”

“Well I…”

“And the Other Railway's inspector realizes I've not slept in days and asks why?”

Cassandra's eyes swirled gold with her frustration. “No. I will haul my trains, my crew will see me through the day until I can sleep tonight.”

Percy shared a worried glance with Toby, who had woken during the conversation.

“Now if you excuse me,” Cassandra said firmly, “I have a train to arrange.”

“I’ll shunt it for you,” Percy volunteered, thinking quickly, “that way you can rest till its time for the train.”

Cassandra paused, “thank you.” She said, smiling tiredly but genuine.

She closed her eyes, clearly intending to nap for what little time she had.

Percy's driver looked towards him consideringly. Percy nodded. His driver nodded back and patted his bufferbeam. Percy started quietly, rolling forward quietly, his crew discreetly bracing themselves as he approached the points to the shed.

The tracks were well laid, and properly secured to North Western Standard. It didn't matter.

As Percy crossed the points he yanked left with all of his might. No matter how well secured, the rails could not fight the full might of a locomotive, and they separated from the sleepers with an ear piercing shriek as Percy fell between the rails with a booming thud, making sure to keep his wheels turning just a second too long.

The sudden silence afterward was deafening as the yard crews stared at Percy, sitting lopsidedly in a cloud of dust where the points used to sit

Percy could feel Cassandra staring wide eyed at him. He glanced down at his handiwork, and couldn't hide the smirk as he realized it would take several hours to repair the points after he had been removed.

“Oops.” He said.

[blaze-aus-steam-lover]

South Australian Railways 620 class

South Australian Railways 620 Class Locomotive No. 620 "Sir Winston Dugan", builders photograph c.1936 Colourised be me : r/trains (reddit.com)

The South Australian Railways 620 class was a class of 4-6-2 steam locomotives operated by the South Australian Railways (SAR). built by the Islington Railway Workshops from 1936 to 1938. Fred Shea, the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the SAR designed a 140-long-ton (157-short-ton; 142 t) Pacific type. A notable feature of the design, unique to South Australian Railways, was the use of Baker valve gear instead of the more commonly used Walschaerts valve gear. 

The class was made up of 10 locomotives, the first locomotive being built in 1936 at the Islington Railway Workshops, with the last being completed in 1938. Number 620, named Sir Winston Dugan, was Australia's first streamlined locomotive, the smokebox was covered with a chromed steel grille similar to those fitted to cars of the period, painted in resplendent Hawthorn Green and Silver. The press of the time described Sir Winston Dugan appearance as 'a bit of fluff'. The remainder of the class was not streamlined.

South Australian Railways 620 class number 621 is observed at Victor Harbor in its new black with red lining paint job, prior to this it had spent 50 or so years in green with yellow lining. : r/trains (reddit.com)

The 620 class replaced the Q and S classes on branch line services, where they proved successful. With the introduction of the more powerful and modern 520 class from 1943, the class was moved to the Willunga, Bridgewater and Tailem Bend passenger services and continued services on Murray Mallee line services. The classes light axle loading provided good route ability and the get up and go characteristics commonly found in large wheeled Pacific type locomotives.

Undergoing Her 12 Year Inspection : r/trains (reddit.com)

The 620 class was phased out in of service in Favour of the Bluebird railcars, although number of railcar failures from 1954 to 1955 saw the class return to service on the Port Pirie line. All of the class were withdrawn between 1964 and 1969. Two of the class have been preserved: No.621 named the Duke of Edinburgh by SteamRanger and No.624 by the National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide.

Locomotive 624 - National Railway Museum (nrm.org.au)

Our Locomotive Fleet – SteamRanger Heritage Railway

videos of the class running:

620 Class Locomotives, Part 3: 621 and 624 Tours to Willunga - YouTube

Ex-SAR Class 620 -621 "Duke of Edinburgh" : r/trains (reddit.com)

Heritage Steam Locomotive SAR 621 Duke Of Edinburgh works upgrade in the Adelaide Hills 2/10/22 (youtube.com)

[boxturret]

Steamboy Legoes

I think it just so happened Steamboy came in to my life right when Bionicles started to get bad, so around that time I made a lot of M.O.C.¹s based on the various machines from the film.

Since most of my legoes at that point were, in fact, Bionicles, I didn't have all that many parts to work with, so many of my builds were quite unorthodox. There's not going to be much S.N.O.T.², short for Studs Not On Top³, here. Also legoes aren't some holy relic that must be treasured above all else, so I cut, glued, and stuck paper on things as I saw fit⁴.

I also wasn't very good at taking photos that were in focus, so you've been warned.

Steam Automotive

This, being the first big crazy machine you see in the movie, it leaves a big impression. Its scene and music are also amazing so that helps.

I made this thing so many times. The gearing on the front wheels was always such a big thing for me, the fact that for it to move forward the larger gear had to rotate backwards was really eye opening for me at the time.

I was really quite inspired by seeing someone else's build of it, it was motorised and ran on tracks and had the monowheel on a rod in front of it. It was really cool, so much so that I'll forgive the fact that when the Steam Automotive was on the tracks it was in front of the mono wheel. I can't find it anymore, I swear there was more Steamboy stuff on Brickshelf at one point.

The way the machine has two drivers, a guy in the back in a more standard locomotive cab and then this guy in a tiny chair in front of the weird vertical second boiler/smoke box(?) with a head on it, its so interesting.

Honestly over this period the legoes I had was pretty consistent, but as I studied the reference materials I had closer and got a more complete idea of how everything went together my approaches changed a lot.

This was the last version I made, and probably the last M.O.C.¹ I made in general. It has a really different structure to the others, but some things have been retained. Sliding tires over 2x2 bricks and technic bushings to make tubes is a pretty good technique I think. Probably heretical in the church of lego purity though.

This model was kept together over my dark ages⁵, if you can call the period of time between when the legoes go in the attic to when they go on ebay that. I did think about keeping it, but there were too many parts from bigger sets in there, and I needed money to buy Rahi.

Note how by this point I'd just completely given up on miniature figures. They're just...so ugly lol, catering builds to fit those blocky awkward giants in was just not fun.

Most of the other builds are all one-offs after this point.

Steam Castle

Except this one. I tried a couple times to give it more texture, but it was hard at the scale. Not really notable at all. Basically only made it because I had enough black connectors to make a circle.

Return of the Steam Automotive

It happened again.

This was basically made right after I watched the movie from memory, so that's why all the colours are off. The gears still work!

And I took a second crack at it. its such a pleasing design.

Aero Corps.

Structure wise this one is really accurate lol, but trying to fit it with a miniature figure just doesn't' work. I was really happy with the custom wings.

Aqua Corps.

I was really happy with the arms. I bet its illegal, but who cares lol, it works. Never even tried to fit a man in this.

Blimp

This was the biggest thing I made, and thus suffered the most from my lack of parts. It should be noted that the bulk of this stuff was built at once, even though I never took a group shot.

I had one wright flyer set and that's where all the tan panels for the tiny fraction of the air sack came from, the curve was just some click hinges but the panels were so heavy they had to be held held up with strings.

The biggest problem was always things with multiple identical components. It was a stretch to make the 6 fingers of this crab thing even with such a simple construction.

Legged Tank and Steam Trooper

I love this tank that appears in like 3 shots and in 1 is getting blown up and in another is dead. Why didn't I use a minifig for the steam trooper? I hear you ask, well, the backpack was more important for me, and I couldn't have a breast plate and a backpack without a major headache.

The linkages don't really do anything productive, except make it hard to rebuild the boxor in 12 years. But they looked cool.

This one really benefitted from me getting the collector's edition of the movie that came with a booklet that featured some concept art and renders. You barely see this thing in the movie, and certainly not from the back.

Flying Machine

I call this one the "I saw someone make this on brickset using revolvers and it looked really good, but all I have are brown muskets because my lego collection is a couple pirate sets from before I was born, bionicles, and the wright flyer".

British Tank

This was the second version, the earlier one was too bad even for me.

I didn't have the stuff to make custom treads so instead I just used the giant chain from the wright flyer and faked the thickness lol. I think that's a pretty good Union Jack for being done freehand on a tiny flat tile with some not very fine tipped sharpies.

Yes the boiler was held together with rubber bands why wouldn't it be.

Say hello to Mr. "Everyone in this movie has a moustache because its 1866 but I only have one miniature figure head with a moustache".

I was quite taken with how the gun was a separate unit that could be detached.

Monocycle

Ray's a part of it, it can't stay together without him. Its all just wedged in there. I got some very used lego once that had some parts of an old police station from the 80s in it, and some of the pieces weren't even broken! So I managed to salvage the back half of a bike from there.

I also made Edward.

Since I didn't have any brown sharpies I just stuck on some paper coloured brown with a marker. At some point I found that the glue I was using to stick the papers on also could rub the prints off so that was cool, saved sanding. Very few miniature figures from my childhood remained.

And this concludes a short look at my dark past. If for some reason you want to see more, there's some more photos of the older ones can be found on this brickshelf.

I wrote a big post about Steamboy over here, if this didn't scare you away.

Notes ¹Short for "My Own Creation". ²Short for "Studs Not On Top"³. ³Often abbreviated as S.N.O.T.². ⁴If the sight of such things disturbs you please leave the post now. ⁵Fans of legoes liken the part of their life when they aren't buying legoes to a period of scientific and cultural stagnation.

[british-rail-official]

Standard Steam Round 1 Match 5

more details under cut :D

The class 2 were the smallest standard locomotives produced. they were heavily based on the lms class 2 but with a smaller loading gauge, they could be used almost anywhere. These engines gained a reputation as being "sure footed" and 4 still exist today.

The BR rebuilds of the light pacifics were a bonkers thing to do. The light pacifics started life with a chain driven valve gear and air smoothed casing designed by oliver bulleid. In the 1950s, british rail was working to a plan that saw a gradual phasing out of steam traction in favour of network-wide electrification that required steam locomotives to still be in use in the 1990s. As such they ordered a rebuild to remove the hard to maintain features on these locomotives. Not all light pacifics were rebuilt by the time they were withdrawn however.

[guerrerense]

Going full-bore por Kevin Madore Por Flickr: Just moments after leaving the platform at Marshfield Station, the Mt. Washington Cog Raiiway's noontime steam trip is going full-bore up the steep grade above the Ammonoosuc River Bridge. The fireman has the locomotive at maximum working pressure, as evidenced by the plume from the safety valve atop the steam dome. Just aft of the steam dome, another billowing plume can be seen from the locomotive's side-stack exhaust. These little cog locomotives don't have conventional valve gear, so once the locomotive is up to speed, there's no way for the engineer to adjust the cut-off, meaning that back-pressure from exhaust steam being pushed out of the cylinders is beginning to make it difficult for the engine to produce maximum power. On these engines, that problem is alleviated by giving some of that steam another way to escape the cylinders, by diverting exhaust steam away from the pipes to the smokebox and out through a dedicated exhaust pipe above the cab. This diversion process is called side-stack, and the exhaust pipe is known as a side-stack exhaust.